Insect screens are installed on windows and doors in homes to promote ventilation while excluding insects. Insect screens are, however, widely regarded as unattractive. From the inside of a window, some screens obstruct or at least distract from the view to the outside. From the outside, many people believe that screens detract from the overall appearance of a home or building. Homebuilders and realtors frequently remove screens from windows when selling homes because of the improved appearance of the home from the outside. Homeowners frequently remove screens from windows that are not frequently opened to improve the view from the inside and the appearance of the window.
A wide variety of insect screen materials and geometries are available in the prior art. Fiberglass, metallic and synthetic polymer screens are known. These screens suffer from reduced visual appeal due to relatively low light transmission, high reflection or both. Standard residential insect screens include a mesh with horizontal and vertical elements. The most common insect screens have about 18 elements per inch in one direction and 16 elements per inch the other direction, often expressed as being a 18×16 mesh. Some standard screens have a 18×14 mesh. The typical opening size is about 0.040 inch by 0.050 inch. Screens designed to exclude gnats and other very small insects usually include screen elements in a 20×20 mesh. The most common materials for the screen elements are aluminum and vinyl-coated fiberglass. Stainless steel, bronze and copper are also used for insect screen elements. Typical element diameters for insect screens are 0.011 inch for aluminum, bronze and some stainless steel offerings and 0.009 inch for galvanized steel and stainless steel.
Some products on the market advertise a black or charcoal colored screen mesh that is allegedly less visible from the inside of a house. Color coating changes and material changes have made some incremental improvements in the visual appeal of screening to the average observer, but most observers continue to object to the darkening effect that current insect screening causes in observing screens from inside and outside.